I didn't end up in the hospital. I just spent a week at Zac's, talking with Avery and receiving the strangest looks from Taylor.

I was sitting on the couch, watching Oprah, when Taylor walked in and nonchalantly sat on the big lounge chair that rested near the couch. Besides myself, Zac, Zoe, and Taylor the house was empty. Zac was practicing in the garage and Zoe was playing with a few of her sister's old Barbie dolls on the floor in front of the coffee table while I watched her for Diana. I didn't say anything to Taylor, I barely gave him a second glance, but I knew he was watching me. I could feel the intense heat I always feel when Taylor is watching me. I managed to ignore it and him, keeping my eyes on Oprah and Zoe simultaneously.

"How did you get that cut on your lip?"he inquired quietly, almost too quiet for me to hear him.

"I fell." I responded quickly, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him.

"What about those bruises on your arm?"

"Same."

"That huge bandage on your back?"

"How do you know about that?" I glanced at him by reflex.

"I saw it. What about your neck? And those bruises on your legs? You didn't fall... what happened?" His voice held a curiously concerned tone to it, alarming me slightly.

"It's none of your business. You shouldn't ask questions of people when you don't even care to hear the answers."

"But I do care to hear the answer. I care very much."

I scoffed at him, turning my nose up and turning my back to him. "You don't give two shits about me. Leave me alone."

"Did Kyle do it?" His words stung my very soul and made me cringe as the tears began to water my eyes.

"It's none of your business."

"You're right, it isn't. I'm sorry I bothered you." He stood up and walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. I cringed, more from the pain of my splitting headache than anything. "But if I found out it was him, I'll kill him." He brushed a hand gingerly across my cheek and left the room before I could think of any form of a response. He didn't talk to me after that, but he did get a peculiar gleam in his eye every time the word Kyle was brought up in conversation. During the next few months, Zac asked me to �be his girl'. We were together for a week before realizing that there was not real romantic chemistry between us and breaking it off. Shortly after I broke up with Zac, I was back in Kyle's arms for another six months of abuse before I finally realized that I could do better and left him again.


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